Laptops: Which is better?

Okay, so within a year I will be starting college and I will need a laptop to use. Until recently, I had my mind set on that I will be buying a Mac due to their setup and how nice the software is. But like I said, recently I found out in my computer programming class that Mac's software cannot support the basic of all computer languages..QBasic. So now that I know that, I'm thinking I should buy a PC and not a Mac incase all computer languages are only supported by PC's and not by Mac's. Knowing this, does anyone know of any outstanding PC's? I haven't kept track of PC's often due to not caring about them. But from what I remember, Dell's were not as good due to how quickly they died and how easily they could break. But what about the Sony Vaios(Viaos..?)? HP's aren't that bad also from what I hear, but with HP going partially out of business, I heard they were shutting down the manufacturing of their laptops, so I don't want to get a laptop from them if updates, repairs, etc won't be taken care of. In otherwords, I have no idea what PC I should get since I would like to have a good one, so if anyone knows please help me pick out a good PC.

Don't get too caught up in brand. Someone can point you towards great specs to look for but buy whatever brand has the features and specs you need for a good price. Period.
Crystal
Superuser
Forum Guidelines | Terms & Conditions | Community Guidelines | What is a Superuser?
*Remember to mark your questions solved and click the star to give kudos to show your thanks!*
While I used to be a Best Buy Employee, I no longer have any affiliation with Best Buy.
My opinions do not in any way shape or form represent Best Buy's Official decisions.

Similar Messages

Need to know which is better and faster for laptop memory upgrade

What is the difference and which is better for a laptop memory upgrade: SDRAM, DDR SDRAM, SIMM? One site suggested DDR SDRAM and BB suggested SO DIMM

SODIMM is the physical form factor of the module, DDR SDRAM is the actual memory type.
SIMMs are an ANCIENT form of memory module. If you have a system that uses SIMMS, you will spend less money throwing your computer in the trash and buying a new one.
Non-DDR SDRAM is also ancient.
Each system can only use one type of memory, i.e. you can't use DDR memory in a system that only used non-DDR memory, and you can't use DDR2 memory in a DDR system.
To find out if the configuration is 2x256 or 1x512, you'll need to look at what is installed.
*disclaimer* I am not now, nor have I ever been, an employee of Best Buy, Geek Squad, nor of any of their affiliate, parent, or subsidiary companies.

Which is better - Mac book pro or air book ?

Which is better a Mac book pro or an air book. What is the pros and cons in using ??

It depends on your preference and how you will use it. Example, if you're a designer, engineer, doing a lot of video editing, sound editing, then you'll appreciate the horsepower the Pro which means "Professional" can offer you. If you're a student, or someone who'll be using primarily for document making or presentation, then the Air would fit you, plus a bonus with the name Air which means "ultra light". The big difference though is the processing speed of the two laptops. The Pro uses full processor speed, while the Air for thermal concerns uses a slightly slower processor.
Good Luck picking the one which will suit you

Which is better poower supply or recharge??

which is better while i'm using my Mac : to put the power supply even if the battery is full or recharge every time the battery dies and remove the power supply??

There's nothing wrong with running from the AC adaptor. You cannot overcharge the battery nor will it cause any battery memory effects.
About Batteries in Modern Apple Laptops
Apple - Batteries - Notebooks
Extending the Life of Your Laptop Battery
Apple - Batteries
Determining Battery Cycle Count
Calibrating your computer's battery for best performance
Battery University

Which is better... Sleep or shutdown?

Which is better for your computer... sleep or shutdown?
Thanks

Technically, it doesn´t matter much if you shut your computer down or just put it to sleep., i.e. nothing is more detrimental to your computer´s "well-being" than the other, respectively.
I´m not sure about the Sleep Mode with the iMac, but I believe it´s a suspend-to-ram, right?
That would mean any unsaved data isn´t saved and could get lost if the computer fails to wake up from sleep.
That could be a point against making the computer sleep.
When it´s sleeping, the computer will also consume a steady, albeit very low quantity of electrical power. From an energy-saving standpoint, that could also be counted as a negative aspect.
MacBooks and MBPs use suspend-to-disk as sleep mode, which means the contents of the ram is saved onto the hard drive and then the computer is fully turned off. Takes a bit longer than suspend-to-ram.
I always put my computers to sleep... both my iBook G3 and my Win laptop.
My win laptop will automatically enter suspend-to-disk after 2 hours if it isn´t used again by then.
hth
ibook g3, acer travelmate w/ pentium m 725 Mac OS X (10.3.9)

GX70 vs GT70 2OC - which is better in the long run?

Just asking for some advice and opinions in these two models. I know the CPU in the GT70 kills the GX70 but the GPU on the GX70 is a monster. Games I'll probably be playing include Skyrim, star wars old republic, star craft 2 - and who knows down the road.
The price of the GT70 goes a little advice my budget though - so if the differences aren't all that major I'd rather save the cash.
http://www.msimobile.com/level3_productpage.aspx?cid=6&id=392
http://www.msimobile.com/level3_productpage.aspx?cid=6&id=396
So the big question its which one will keep up better with newer games as time goes on? CPU vs GPU?

Quote from: stefanton on 26-June-13, 03:24:19
The issue for me is upgrading a dedicated GPU in a laptop - most of the stores i've asked about say it can't be done, you gotta get a whole new laptop (which is why laptop is not ideal for gaming - desktops are easier to mix-n-match).
Besides, who even sells mobile GPU cards in the retail world? Is there an online retailer that sells them? I am more interested in knowing this because, say a year from now nVidia releases a 800 series card that outperforms the 770m, and fits in the same PCI slot inside the notebook - i'd like to be able to swap them out.
The GT70 series uses MXM 3.0 sockets, as do most high end notebooks at this point in time. There are GT780's (the prior version of the GT70) that are running the GTX680M, and I'm sure there will be some using a GTX770M as well. I will most likely eventually put a GTX780M in my GT70 when I have the cash and the need.
I actually think you can order the cards from the MSI store. I'm not 100% certain on that, but I'm pretty sure you can.

Which is better for gaming and why?

Hi,
I was researching budget gaming laptops(around $1000, INR 55000) and came up with two choices.....
1)HP Pavilion g6z-1d00 Notebook PC
http://shopping2.hp.com/en_US/home-office/-/products/Laptops/HP-Pavilion/A2B39AV?HP-Pavilion-g6z-1d0...
2)HP Envy 14-2130nr Notebook PC
http://shopping2.hp.com/en_US/home-office/-/products/Laptops/HP-ENVY/QE295UA?HP-ENVY-14-2130nr-Noteb...
Could anybody please tell me which is better for gaming (main purpose and best performance)?
The HP Envy looks great but I don't know much about AMD Quad Core.....
Also, is it possible to upgrade the graphics card on the HP Envy ( AMD Radeon 6630 to a better one) via a HP centre?
It seems to run most games quite well, but I need it to be able to play new games for at least 4 years more (college), while not factoring in the costs for any possible graphics card upgrade....
Please help!!

Thanks Huffer _ very useful.
I wasn't aware that there was a heat problem with the i7 processors, my dv8 runs at around 42 to 52 degrees, mind you I don't really put it under much load. I use it to play Blu-ray ISO files on my projector and for photo editing (Adobe CS4), it's an 820QM.
I have also changed the thermal compound to ICDiamond and drilled holes in the speaker cover to improve air flow, that made a difference too.
@ abhishekmaha
Don't take my comment to seriously, although I think it has some truth to it, it was meant to poke a bit of fun at you.
Heat has always been one of the biggest factors when it comes to any computer, designers try to make them thinner, lighter and cheaper and those types don't work for gaming very well. They're OK for the occasional one, but not on a regular basis. I believe that if you game on any machine that was not meant for it, you will not get 4 years out of it _ 2 years.
I wish I could tell you different, but I am not going to lie to you.
Heat basically affects 3 things on a laptop, the solder that holds the components on the motherboard, any mechanical moving parts, eg the hard drive, fan _ and the battery. You can remove the battery to prolong its life when gaming.
Heat breaks down the solder over time and the mother board simply stops working as far as the hard drive, it stops spinning because the tiny bearing(s) in there dry out and seize up.
If you don't want to use a cooling mat then prop up the back of the laptop, hanging it over the edge of the table will expose the fan intake, but will block off other vents.
60 degrees is a bit warm too, 50 is better or rather, the cooler the better. What ever machine you get, make a note of what the temps are when you first boot up and when it's hot. The idea is to get an average so you can judge when it is dangerously getting hot.
P.S. Be sure and give Huffer a kudos too.

Which is better, FCS or CS4?

Im going to start making videos...
so, i would like your opinions on which is better, Final Cut Studio 3 or Creative Suite 4?
it would be better if the apps:
1. have templates
2. are easy to use (for beginners)
btw,
If CS4, I know that I'll get Photoshop.
But, FCS 3, does it has any Photoshop equivalents?
Soundbooth=CS4
Soundtrack Pro=FCS 3
Which is better?

If you are beginning, why don't you start with iMovie? It's already on your Mac and you can get an idea of what video editing is like. Both Final Cut Studio and Adobe CS5 have a high learning curve, and I wouldn't consider putting either one of them on a 13" laptop.
I really encourage you to consider your requirements & what kind of video you anticipate doing (home movies or are you planning to do commercials for Nike?). What level of experience do you currently have?

Which is better with a NAS: using Sharing or Library location?

So I've got my brand new NAS up and running (Netgear ReadyNAS 104).
It has a Music folder with an iTunes server so I can use it as a Shared Library.
But I can also point my iTunes to the NAS and use the library directly from the NAS.
So which is better? Using the NAS as a Shared Library or use the NAS as the primary Library?
I want multiple devices (primarily Apple devices, but perhaps also a Windows laptop) to be able to use the media.
What about library management? Like when ripping an audio CD. When I use the NAS as a shared library, do I need to manually copy the CD to the NAS iTunes share and have iTunes re-scan?

Well... I downloaded LibreOffice and Writer2ePub and openned my Atlantis doc in it and converted to epub file. The good news is it didn't cost a dime.
The bad news is one image is now tiny which is odd because it was 600 dpi so I would think it could be displayed larger, not smaller but maybe the epub conversion downsizes a higher res image (some are 300dpi).
The cover image shows up in iBook as a wide and short image. The cover itself is tiny and then it just fills in black for the rest of the screen width. I used a large, high res image.
Then there was something with the TOC. It created a good TOC but then there's another page with a none hypertext version and a big rectangle error message and the TOC only shows about half of the chapters.
There was some advice on the internet about centering images in iBook. It seems that iBook doesn't recognize text justification coded in a document. So you have to embed another element on the same line as the image (html stuff) and give it a center alignment tag. I haven't done any html ebook stuff so I may not be explaining that the best way possible.
So, I'm going to take another look at my iBook Author version and see if I can live with that. If not I'll probably try Pages although I don't know what other problems I'll run into. Fun, fun, fun

Refurb 13inch 2012 OR Refurb 15inch 2011 which is better?Is refurb really worth it?THOUGHTS ON REFURBISHED MBP

hey folks i am planing to buy a macbook pro after saving cash since the past 6years i want you all to help me with which product i should go for
i am 17 and need a good laptop which will last me another 5years..... i have been thinking about a refurb macbook pro 2012 13inch 2.9 i7dual core which is for about 1260 and another one refurb macbook pro 2011 15inch 2.2 i7 quad core which is again for 1350.....i would want to know which is a better option as price wise both are very close and if is the 15inch worth it and better as the 2011 does not have the usb3.0 and bluetooth 4.0 and its sandy bridge but again its quad core where as the 13inch 2012 has all the stuff but its dual core.... what is the difference between quad and dual core?....and i would want to know your thoughts on the refurb models as i said its importamt for me to spend my money wisely since i have been saving for the past 6years....does the refurb mbp as good as new?can they have cosmetic damages?is the outter shell and body replaced?and do they come with new parts and accesories? and is it like a second hand laptop which is used for a year or few months and then returnded and sold again as refurb? please let me know which is better and long lasting or else shall i go for a new one...cause if i buy a refurb mbp and the apple protection care plan the total cost is as much as a new mbp so is it better to buy a new mbp and not buy the apple protection plan? PLEASE HELP ME OUT
Thanks for your time
Toodles
Links of the models:
http://store.apple.com/us/product/FD318LL/A/refurbished-macbook-pro-22ghz-quad-c ore-intel-i7#overview
http://store.apple.com/us/product/FD102LL/A/refurbished-macbook-pro-29ghz-dual-c ore-intel-i7
ps: is a 128gb solid state drive worth replacing the 500gb or 750gb serial ata

USB 3 vs USB 2 -> the importance of USB 3 depends on how much you use an external drive to read/write large files or large numbers of files. I once did extensive testing with USB 2 vs FireWire 400 & 800 with TimeMachine. It was no surprise that performing a complete backup with FireWire was significantly faster than with USB (or even a large backup such as after installing an OS update). But for those hourly (or even daily) backups the difference wasn't all that significant. Exporting a large number of photos or an iMovie to FireWire was significantly faster. Copying a copy word processor files it was almost impossible to accurate time the difference. For some the USB3 ports are a big deal. For me, not at all because I'm heavily invested in FireWire drives.
BlueTooth 4? Frankly, I can't say because the only thing I use BT for is my keyboard and mouse which the older standard is fine for. There are potential advantages - just as with USB3 - the question is whether your current/future needs align to the new standards. Again for me they don't.
As for the CPU difference - I've already indicated that unless you are doing high processor intensive work (such as 3D modelling or big statistical modeling) either processor has plenty of power. According to the benchmarks my new work iMac runs rings around my work 2009 Core 2 Duo 13" MBP. In my real world use of those two computers I never notice the difference. If I played 3D games on them I would.
I've already said that all but one of my refurbs looked new and from what I've seen of relatives and friends buying refurbs that runs pretty true. You aren't buying a new computer but on the other hand I've never seen a refurb that looked beat up. Most refurbs are computers that buyers returned within Apple's 14 day buyer's remorse period or were dead on arrival, a new one given to the buyer, and repaired.
I can't tell you how long a refurb MBP will last - no more than I can tell you how long a new MBP will last. But Apple warrants them for a year and lets you buy an extended warranty just as if they were new. That indicates the confidence Apple has in its refurbs.
Where do you get the idea that you can only put a 128GB SSD in a 13"? It can handle any standard 2.5" drive and there are plenty of SSDs in that form factor at 256GB and above. Yes an SSD is expensive compared to a standard drive but the speed increase is amazing and not just in booting up the computer. Installing an SSD on my 4.5 year old iMac gave it another year of live. Installing one in my work MBP was like getting a new computer. I wouldn't consider buying a new computer without one.

Requirements: Which is better ?

Hi. I'm about to buy a laptop and I am wondering which of these is better.
Photoshop will be used only for high res high dpi drawing(no photo editting) on an external monitor.
Will there be any difference in performance between GeForce 540M and 525M, both with 1GB DDR3?
Will there be any difference in performance between Intel Core i7-2630QM (2.00/2.90GHz 6 MB Cache) and Intel Core i5-2410M (2.3/2.9GHz, 3MB Cache)? Will Photoshop take advantage of the four cores with lower frequency or two cores with higher frequency is better?
Which is better to invest in - GPU or CPU, considering the fact that the laptop will be used with external monitor for drawing(no photo editting) ?

If you were going to go with a desktop I would refere you to this article of mine:
http://robertoblake.com/blog/2011/07/building-a-photoshop-cs5-computer/
I'm working on a laptop equivalent for this. CS5 can do without the Quad Core processors if you go dual core at 3.0GHz or better. I found an Acer laptop for $449 with 4GB DDR3 AMD Phenom II Dual Core N660 3.0GHz, 320 GB 5400RPM, DVD Super Multi, ATI Raedeon HD 4250 (OpenGL), L2 Cache is 2MB
and its upgradable to upto 8GB.
If you're skeptical I've worked on the go on a rig a little less powerful than this and I've been able to do 27x41 Movie Posters without a problem! You can't beat that price for the power.

Hi there, I have installed iTune on my new Toshiba laptop which runs on Win 8. I can update itune on Toshiba laptop, sync but the iphone Apps still showing app to be updated. Restarted both Itune

Hi there, I have installed iTune on my new Toshiba laptop which runs on Win 8. I can update itune on Toshiba laptop, sync but the iphone Apps still showing app to be updated. Restarted both Itune and iphone....reset phone backup....to no avail.....HELP!

I have removed now all bloatware from laptop, CCleaner run and some more stuff: installed Libre Office, Free Avast, Mozilla Firefox - Spotify was preinstalled. And now this is even better - really simple and fast.
I also removed Ethernet completely, as I don't want to be locked at one place. It's not cool to use laptop on divan sofa. So tired after hour of sitting in uncool position. Wifi speed loss is almost 50%. 95 Mbps I get from 100 Mbps at Ethernet and on Wifi in laptop I get at max 50 Mbps. It's only for end this year this way, then I will slow down my connection anyway as for one person and laptop/smartphone it's way too much of speed for 40 €. With 27€ I can get the same 10M/10M and it will be more than enough. Now I have 100M/10M.
I'm also considering about 50M/10M option for 32.90 €, but I will see what I do. I download now test file 10GB and it loads 30-40 Mbps and sometimes even as fast as 50 Mbps. It depends on server also, but ebven on Google, which works on Ethernet at 95 Mbps, it is on Wifi nothing more than 51 Mbps.
It's also 10GB of 1,100 Offlined tracks, I tested it now. So on trips 32GB card should be enough for my phone. I'm going to one soon :)

Which has better sound - DVD or highest setting Quicktime?

Hi (I hope this question did not go through twice) -- I will be engaging in performances where I'll be streaming video and sound from my laptop... my quesiton is - which is better DVD or highest quality Quicktime? - for sound and vid... and by what degree? -- thanks.

I'll have to say for me it's a tie between my iPhone 3GS and 120 GB (6th gen) iPod Classic. The sound using the Apple in-ear headphones is awesome on those two models. I can't explain why, but that's my observation-there's a marked improvement with those two compared to Nano and older iPod Classic models.

[SOLVED] So, which is better; VDPAU or VAAPI?

Hey all,
I'm trying to get a grasp on what VDPAU and VAAPI actually mean. Before, on my old laptop which had an AMD card I really didn't care much because all I could use was VAAPI anyway. Now that my new laptop (Intel graphics) supports both, I'm wondering which is better? Perhaps "better" is not the right word, but you get what I mean I hope.
I tried reading some on Google, but I'm not getting much wiser. All I know now is that VDPAU is NVIDIA's equivalent to Intel's VAAPI and that if your program/driver supports VAAPI, it supports a subset of VDPAU?
I know that in order to use VDPAU, I have to use libvdpau-va-gl which seems to be some sort of wrapper/hackish solution? In that case, wouldn't it be better to just use VAAPI which is natively supported by Intel's driver?
As you see, I'm not getting much of this and I hope you can enlighten me!
Last edited by Unia (2013-10-30 17:38:42)

donniezazen wrote:VAAPI is the native protocol for Intel graphic cards and VDPAU is for Nvidia.
Incorrect. They are both, as I said, APIs. Any driver can implement either of them. Intel implements VAAPI, but the open source radeon and nouveau drivers implement VDPAU. The proprietary Nvidia driver implements VDPAU too.
But there's nothing (except developer interest) preventing Intel from implementing VDPAU, or radeon/nouveau from implementing VAAPI. It's a developer choice, nothing more.
donniezazen wrote:VAAPI requires libva-intel-driver and libva-vdpau-driver for Intel and Nvidia respectively.
Not quite. libva-intel-driver is indeed for Intel. But libva-vdpau-driver is a wrapper - when VLC used to be VAAPI only, libva-vdpau-driver allowed you to get hardware acceleration in it with the Nvidia proprietary driver. Nowadays VLC supports both VAAPI and VDPAU, so libva-vdpau-driver isn't needed anymore.
donniezazen wrote:VDPAU requires libvdpau-va-gl/libva-intel-driver and nvidia-utils for Intel and Nvidia respectively.
Again, not quite. libvdpau-va-gl is a wrapper, required only if you want to use Intel with applications that support VDPAU only, like flash or mplayer. VLC and mpv support VAAPI, so libvdpau-va-gl isn't needed with them.
donniezazen wrote:I am wondering if I should install all those packages and set VLC to automatic and let it appropriately choose. I have Optimus laptop but 90% time I use Intel card.
All you need for Intel with VLC is libva-intel-driver, nothing else. You can also install libvdpau-va-gl to use Intel with flash.
I'd keep the Nvidia card deactivated for video decoding, no sense using extra power when Intel can do it. The only advantage Nvidia has is advanced deinterlacing.

I got a new computer recently and don't have my old laptop, which has all of the songs in my Itunes on it. I have all of the songs on my iPod touch, is there a way to transfer them to my new computer without having the old one?

I would like to get the music from my iPod touch onto my new laptop (which a PC), but I am affraid that if I plug in my iPod then I will lose all of my music. Is there a way to transfer the music from my iPod to my new laptop without losing songs?

If you do not have access to the iTunes Library on your Old computer... or its Backup...
See these 2 Links...
Syncing to a New Computer...
https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-3141
Recovering your iTunes library from your iPod or iOS device
https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-3991
If you do have access... See Here...
iTunes: How to move your music to a new computer
Or...
From your OLD computer...
Copy your ENTIRE iTunes FOLDER to an External Drive... and then from the External Drive to your New Computer..
Full Details Here > http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1751
An Added Bonus is that you will have a Backup of iTunes.

Laptops: Which is better?

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for